Detector and alarm for pneumatic tires.



S. W. WATBRHOUSE. DETECTOR AND ALARM FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLEATION FILED JUNE 2 7, 1910. V

Patented May 12, 1914.

v 111 immnnnmu Il rsaENT OFFICE.

sanaovaw. wmnanousn, or BAN rose, cam'ronum.

nn'rncroa AND ALARM Specification Letters intent;

'roa pnnomarzc TIRES.

Patented May 12, 191.4.

Lpplioation filed Iuhe 27, 1010. Serial No, 508,001.

0011 whom it may concern: Be it known that I, SEYMOUR W. Warsa- I HOUBQ'GlClZGII of the United States, residat versally ada ,able and adjustable to seving at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Detectors and Alarms fol- Pneumatic Tires, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention re ates to deflation detectors and alarms for pneumaticv tires. Thousands of dollars are annually 5 ent in the renewal of neumatictires w ich have been accidental ruined solely bybecoming deflated and tiin allowed to run flat,

or partially so, whereby they are weakened by transverse distortion 0]; cut by the rim which bears on them, Had the fact of low ressurc or partial deflation been known or ndicated at 1tsinception to the driver of the vehicle, his attention would have been given to charging the tire, or if punctured, repairing it, efore it would have been weakened or cut by running flat.

It is a s ecial object of my invention to providea diatector and alarm adapted to be operated continuously by the alternate expansion and contraction of a pneumatic tire, whether the latter is partia 1y or entirely deflated.

It is a eneral object of my invention to devise an design a means for detecting and indicating deflation of a tire adapted to be. entirely mounted and carried by the wheel on which the tire is mounted; and to provide a device which is substantially unieral sizes 6 wheels, and which is interchangeable, sim le, inexpensive and easily and quickly ap lied, without in any we whatsdever' altering either the tire or whee or ma ing any attachments to the vehicle bod.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more 'fullydescribed and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an edge view of the device ap plied to a wheel. Fig.2 is.a side V ew w th the sound device omitted. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the action of the actuator by the tire. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clamp. Fig; 5 shows an ant1-friction foot. t v I A represents a vehicle wheel and B the usual inflatable pneumatic tire to which invention is' applicable.

a In the actual and successtul embodiment 01 my invention, I employ a radiall disposed rod or actuator 2, movably gui ed in appropriate upper and lower clam s 341ml 4, sufficiently flexible to be adjuste and'aeowed to the spokes 5 of the vehicle wheel. i The lower end of the actuator 2 is formed with a laterally extending foot 6, or a roller 7, adapted to engage the top or inher side of the pneumatic tire B, relatively near the rim 8, so that as that portion of the tire on which the foot piece 6 rests is expended or bul d sidewiseand inwardly by i contact with t e ground at each revolution of the wheel, the rod 2 is pushed radialty inward. As pressure'on the ground hethe spring, as 9, pushes the rod out again correspondingly with the recovery of that section of the tire. Thus the rod 2 recip'rocates correspondingly with the expansion and contraction or flattening action and recovery action of the tire in the travel of the latter over the ground. However, the rod 2 is so positioned that it will onl be acted on by the tire within certain pretiietermined limits, as will be shortly explained, because it is this movement of the rod alarm. It will be 'manifesh'however, that the amount of lengthwise movement of the rod will vary with the amount of deflation. That is, the flattening motion of the tire gradually increases as the deflation increases so that the rod 2 moves more and more at each revolution of the wheel. Having thus provided means sensitive to the diflercntial expansion, or abnormal depression of the tire as when excessively loaded by the jolting of the vehicle, I combine with it a suitable form of sound producing mechanism, as shown at 10.

While a spring 9 why be employed torcturn the rod after each depression, it is preferred to allow the sounder to return it. v In order to adapt the device to any size wheel, I have found that the most inexpensive and simple way is to form in the rod 2 a compound curve or goose neck 12, so that it may he sprcador contracted, more or less, by bending to accommodate it to diiferent conditions.

An important feature of the device is to so shape the clamps 3-4 that they can he comes relieved at that point on the tire, a

that gives the i I is accomplished by the oval spoke,

' wheel, can be applied to any made of one piece and yet easily and quickly 1 of guide clamps secured vto one of said adjusted to various sizes of spokes, and this spokes, a signal device carried by one of using flat stock of the i said clamps, a rod carried by, and slidably mounted in said clamps and lying within the plane of the spokes and operat ve when movedradially inward to a predetermined point to operate said signal, means for hold-' ing said rod normally out of operative position with the signal, said rod having an oilset foot piece disposed in the path of the tire adjacent to the rim, and said foot piece arranged so that on the deflation and depression' of the tire beyond a predetermined point, the-foot piece is pushed radially of the wheel to reciprocate the rod and operate 40 always within the plane of the tire and i the signal; said signal device being disposedwheel, and-it entirely within the plane of the wheel. In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing requisite length to form a mount 13, Fig. 4:, on one end and divided to form oppositely curvedclanip arms 14: and 14, one ofkwhich is slotted at 15 to receive a swinging bolt 16, pivoted in. the coi'nplementary arm 14. The flexibility of the arms will allow the clamp to be passed over the minor axis 0 and when turned a quarter revolution the thick diameter of the spoke will be grasped by the curved arms, and the clamp tightened up by means of the bolts 16.

The device is very simple, inexpensive, is

only soundsa' repeating or continuous'alarm I When the tire is punctured or needs pumpin up. h -'d b d h witnesses.

avin t us escri e my invention w at I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Pat i. SEYMOUR WATERHOUSE' ent, is- Witnesses:

CHARLES EDELMAN, 4.

i 25 pneumatic tire and the combination with a he tire alarm,

wheel spokes, of a pair FREDERICK E; MAYNARD. 

